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Oct 13, 2015

Falling profits and increased borrowing at U.S. companies are rattling debt markets, a sign the six-year-long economic recovery could be under threat, says Mike Cherney writing for the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reports that Credit-rating firms are downgrading more U.S. companies than at any other time since the financial crisis, and measures of debt relative to cash flow are now rising. Analysts expect profits at large companies to decline for a second straight quarter for the first time since 2009. What does it mean to you as an investor, especially in or near retirement? Steve and Sinclair review and discuss the changing bond market, and how an S & P downgrade can cause a loss in a bond fund or Target Date fund, even if interest rates don't go up. In the Q & A, Steve and Sinclair review some of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of annuities--which ones lock up your money, and which ones don't.